From the Washington Post:
What the $2 Trillion Coronavirus Bailout Is Really Going to Cost
In other words, one arm of the government will create $2 trillion out of thin air and then lend it to another government agency, which will turn around and give or lend it to households, businesses, hospitals and local governments.
—Steven Pearlstein
From The Hill:
How Oil Tariffs Can Unite Strange Political Bedfellows
A strange twist of fate has aligned to make a “strange bedfellows” coalition of red-state Republicans and environmentalist greens on oil tariffs.
—David Hart
From Government Executive:
Implementing the 2020 Stimulus: Lessons from the 2009 Recovery Act
This is no time for suspicions about the “deep state.” Experienced federal civil servants were the unsung heroes of the Recovery Act, working overtime and often going beyond the call of duty in order to get stimulus programs moving quickly and efficiently. It is time once again to let them do their jobs.
—Tim Conlan and Priscilla Regan
From The Daily Maverick (South Africa):
How Do We Explain the Low COVID-19 Caseload in Africa (So Far)?
Covid-19 could end up spreading like wildfire in the region. Impoverished masses in the slums of Addis Ababa, Mogadishu and Nairobi might bear the brunt. If the pandemic goes on for weeks and months it will compromise existing and ongoing health initiatives in the region, such as against polio and Ebola, thus making matters worse.
—PhD Candidate Muhammad Salar Khan, Nasir Javaid, and Fazal Jamil
From the Cipher Brief:
A Window into Modern Russian Intelligence Culture
It should warn possible targets in the United States—in government, all ranks of the military, and on college campuses—that traditional operational security is as important in 2020 as cyber hygiene. The United States intelligence community should not lose any focus on classical operations for the sake of today’s cyber and digital influence threats.
—International Politics Undergraduate Alexander Naumov
From Defense One:
National Security in the Age of Pandemics
The time for action is now. History (and epidemiology) remind us that it is a question of when—not if—another pandemic will strike. Nor can we mitigate the risks and costs by simply adding pandemic preparation to the ever-expanding laundry list of missions we expect the military to handle. Pandemic readiness demands a genuine “whole of government” approach.
—Gregory Koblentz and Michael Hunzeker
From The Hill:
Federalism in a Crisis: Curse or Cure?
With no effective nationally directed strategy, it falls upon state and local officials to lead responsibly. And that is what is happening, although tragically only in some parts of the country, and often much too late.
—Mark J. Rozell
From The Hill:
COVID Is a Very Different Kind of Crisis Politically
During the Clinton wars in the 1990s, when political polarization was rising, I was often asked what it would take to unite the country. My rueful answer was that it would probably take a serious national crisis. We had one on Sept. 11, 2001, and it did bring the country together. For one year.
—Bill Schneider
From American Thinker:
Tech Designed for Coronavirus Panic Means a Brighter Future for Americans
America is focused on what the federal, state, and local governments are doing to fight this pandemic. But our private-sector innovators and RPA creators are using advanced tools to fight the virus while helping American companies to improve their operations when the pandemic passes, as it will.
—David K. Rehr and Dorin Munteanu